Trust Issues? – Collins Bar Birmingham

Welcome back to another addition of Brown at the Bar! This post is a real treat for those of you that really love a good cocktail and aren’t too picky of what specifically you’re drinking. Let’s discuss a wonderful gem in Birmingham, AL, The Collins Bar.

First things first, this decor in Collins is enough alone to warrant multiple visits. It’s a dark and intimate venue. I’d definitely put it on the date worthy list of bars and restaurants to visit. Any Birmingham native would love their giant periodic table filled with iconic Birmingham landmarks and businesses. The Collins is located downtown on 2nd Ave and is a popular place for professionals, both young and old, the grab a bite and drinks after work. In my 3 visits, it’s never been dead here. A seat at the bar is much easier to come by earlier in the week though.

The thing about The Collins that sets it apart from other bars is the way you order. There is no drink menu, no signature cocktails, no any of what you’d expect.

We tailor make our cocktails. Tell us what you like, we’ll take it from there.

That’s how it works. Give the bartender something to work with and trust that they will delight you. These guys are talented to say the least. I once asked for “something with mint but far from a mint julep” and was given an icy tall pink glass of what had to be a mint grapefruit fusion. It was amazing. Your imagination is your limitation in this place. Ask for a dessert and you could get a pineapple upside down cake in the form of a cocktail or something more kin to a chocolate sundae.

A Mint Julep “snow cone”Pineapple Meringue Pie concoction

The best thing about The Collins Bar is that every visit will yield you something new. If you have a drink you just have to have again, have the bartender list out the ingredients for you to jot down in your notes. Also, they have party games you can play if you’re lucky and/or timely enough to secure one of the group booths, and the paper planes hanging from the ceiling have little messages you begin to notice when the liquor starts to affect you.

This is a really fun place for both the experienced drinker and the social sipper. Challenge your trust issues if you’re ever in Birmingham and give The Collins a try. Also, you didn’t hear this from me but a particular guy’s date was allergic to a certain ingredient in her drink and that guy got to keep her drink free of charge. I’m just saying.